The Twelve Days of Storybrooke Christmas
by Ethlena
Summary: Mr Gold normally hates the season to be jolly but with Belle in his life he's determined to make this a Christmas to remember.
1. Prolouge

**The Twelve Days of Storybrooke Christmas **

**Authors note -** well, this came to me whilst I was working at my local castle the other day (yes I do work at a castle and yes it is awesome. No Rumple though - well not that I know of.. enough chipped mugs around mostly my making !) Anyway tangent aside this is based around the popular Christmas tune the twelve days of Christmas - Mr Gold normally hates the season to be jolly but with Belle in his life he's determined to make this a Christmas to remember. Please take the time to review it means alot to me and I will reply personally to every review - constructive criticism welcome but no flames please .

**Prologue - **

It was Gold's least favourite time of the year. The festive season. He didn't mind it per se but he had lived on his own for a long time with little joy in his life but causing others to fear him so it held little draw. He hated it being colder than normal as it caused his knee to ache. He hated the ice and snow because walking on a knee that was shattered by the loom his mother had once used was made a hundred times harder when there was the threat of slipping on black ice every twenty paces. On top of all this there was the glitter and the singing and the general fluffiness of it all which was just not something that gelled well with his personality. So normally he just bought a bottle of Taliska whiskey and some good food and holed himself up in his house for the duration. This year however this was not going to be an option. For this year he had Belle.

Belle as almost his polar opposite of course loved everything to do with Christmas. Well apart from Santa, she thought the idea of a fat man coming down the chimney and leaving presents a bit terrifying especially since she had read The Grinch. But she had decked out the house for the season. A giant tree decorated in red and gold was in the living room. There were garlands of holly and ivy and tinsel down the banisters , oh and the wreath on the door . The thing that got to him more than anything was the amount of Christmas music she listened to it seemed to never cease. He wanted to be part of this happy experience for her though, a big part. It was her favourite song that gave him the idea - he could manage twelve days of making her happy and being part of her Christmas experience. He might want to shoot the next set of carollers who knocked on their door and were subsequently invited in by Belle for mulled wine and mince pies. But twelve days he could manage surely? He wasn't entirely sure but he was going to try his very best .


	2. Day 1

**Author's note -** ** I was genuinely shocked at the response to the teaser for this fic ... the amount of people who have started following it is amazing - thank you so much ! I hope you enjoy this chapter if you have the time take a moment to review - it always makes me smile and I reply personally to every review - (this chapter comes to you mainly from a delayed train from London to my home 2hrs late!) Anyway without further ado**

**Day 1 : A Partridge in a pear tree - **

The next day Gold woke up and stretched. Belle had fallen asleep on the chaise lounge last night whilst reading and had been so soundly in a dream world that he couldn't bear to move her. Therefore instead of wake her he gently put a blanket over her and put the book that had fallen out of her hand on the side table. This had one advantage it meant as he went to shower he could start to properly think through his madcap plan. He was going to have to put limits on it. Not financial limits or creative limits but he was going to have to tailor in the quantity of things and stretch the time scale a bit . The song suggested that by the end of the festive period the woman in question had 12 partridges in pear trees and more gold rings then she could shake a stick at. No he would give a gift linked creatively to each line of the song, once, heaven forbid he end up with 40 maids a milking ! He also knew that the twelve days didn't theoretically start until Christmas day but it was only five days until Christmas and frankly he couldn't wait to put the plan into action.

Having put on his clothes for the day his first thoughts were to breakfast. After all, even for the town's most feared resident there was no working on an empty stomach. As he walked into the kitchen he hit the kettle . He then put some coffee in a mug for her (how she could drink the bitter black stuff he didn't know) and some tea in the closest cup for him, black with a little honey. He carried on preparing breakfast and as the French toast started frying he heard the pad of bare feet on the stone flags of the kitchen. He turned to see his beautiful Belle bleary eyed in the doorway. It took all his strength not to go over and snog her senseless as she looked sleepily at him with her hair mussed and her clothes in casual disarray. Belle didn't do mornings. Instead of ravishing her there and then he walked towards her with the coffee he had made for her and a plate of French toast putting them by her place at their table. It still gave him shivers down his spine whenever he thought of them together, coexisting as a couple. Her influence had crept into the house as she had become more comfortable there. Sunflowers and roses sat in vases in various places around the house. The curtains which he normally never bothered to open were flung back letting the light flood in and play with the highlights in her hair. They finished their breakfast in companionable silence . After a few minutes Belle got up and went to change. He washed the dishes letting his idea flourish. The day outside was bright and warm for the time of year almost like the hazy end of the summer and in no time at all he was at the door locking it behind them.

"You look distracted love, farthing for your thoughts?" Belle's voice bought him down to earth from his reverie and he smiled down at her. "Nothing dearie, just thinking how the day is much nicer with you by my side" . This was of course a kind of lie but it was so small a lie compared to his past dealings that he felt not a twinge of guilt. Finally they reached the spot where he dropped Belle off each morning, the library. "Here we are love I'll be back to pick you up at four" he leant down and kissed Belle on the cheek . "I love you Eli. have a nice day at the shop and for heaven's sake dust some of the shelves today I could barely see the bits and pieces for the dust last time I was there". With that they parted and he walked not towards the shop but towards Granny's diner at the centre of town. He entered the establishment to see that it had been fully decked out for the festive season. In fact it looked like one of the fairies had been sick all over it. He caught the sight of Ruby and the young Dr in the corner and smirked Belle would be pleased to hear about this and he made a mental note to tell her. Henry sat with Emma in another booth and Mary Margaret was halfway through one of Granny's now famous gingerbread mochas in another. Finally he reached the counter, Granny had her back to him so he rapped his cane gently on it startling her. "Mr Gold! What can I do for you ?" she inquired. Gold hadn't set foot in the diner for months and the last time he did it was to threaten someone, so she was intrigued. "I wondered if you had any of your wonderful pear tarts around ?" This made her even more intrigued it was rare for Mr Gold to consume anything that was not microwave cooked unless it was cheese and wine. "Of course Mr Gold. How many can I get for you ?" Granny stammered . "Two please, here's for your trouble" Gold said placing a note on the counter as he picked up the baked goods and moved swiftly out of the door. "Well" said Granny looking from the door to the counter and then up at Ruby "I never thought I'd see the day!".

Gold reached the shop and went quickly to his work area putting the pastries down on top of it. He sat on the bench and got out his soft brush, leather pad and the thin beaten metal between sheets of paper. He lifted it gently and began to manipulate it. Anyone who looked through the window would have seen something that really resembled magic in this land which lacked it. The thin sheet of metal glowed in the half-light of the shop, it ducked and dived through the dust and the history that permeated the air. Finally he deposited the sheet on top of the tart and brushed off the excess. The process was repeated for the other tart and finally he stood back to study his handy work. The two desserts sat on the counter looking like pieces of jewellery as the gold leaf he had applied glinted in the light. He put them in the fridge and set out from his shop again to some different stores around the town picking up little pieces here and there. Finally having picked up the most important things he made his way back to the kitchen out the back of the antique shop and started to cook.

It had been years since he had had occasion to cook properly but he found that it was one of those skills that once learnt you never forgot. So he had, in what amounted to but a short time, put the partridge in the oven and prepped the veg. He was now very involved in making stock to finish off what he hoped would be an at least passable dinner and thinking about how he could finish the last part of his scheme in time. It was at that moment that the bell of the shop door rung. Swearing under his breath he put the lid on the stock pot and made his way toward the shop entrance. Standing there in the centre of the shop was Henry with red cheeks and bright eyes from his journey. "Well hello Henry. What can I do for you ?" Gold asked feeling a little less irked on the sight of his young visitor who, beside Belle, was the only person he really liked in Storybrooke. "I wanted to know if you're up to what I think you're up to and if you are can I help?" he looked up at Gold with a grin set on his face so infectious it was hard to say no. He had thought Belle's big puppy dog eyes were the deadliest weapon but he was beginning to have second thoughts. "What is it you think I'm up to young man?" he asked trying to keep his tone even and mask the excitement he was feeling. " Well you bought two pear tarts from Granny's earlier and Archie told me he saw you walking this way with two partridges in your hands and " here he paused for effect and Gold chuckled the boy was starting to sound like Sherlock Holmes. "And Belle is obsessed with the song the twelve days of Christmas , she drives everyone to near distraction humming and whistling it around the library. So I can only conclude you are planning a meal based on the first day of the song - the partridge in the pear tree. You've got the pears and are, by the smell, well into cooking the partridge, now the only thing your missing is the pear tree. Or" he added as an afterthought "any tree at all". "You're a smart boy Henry yes that is the plan, but I'm afraid you can't ..." He stopped as an idea entered his head "Henry you know that present your step-mother bought you for your birthday?" The boy looked at him with uncertainty and then in a second Gold knew he had caught on as the familiar grin started to break across his face.

It was a few hours later when Gold went to pick Belle up from work and they had reached home. Unlocking the door he and Belle entered the old Victorian property. She hung up her coat and purse on the hat stand and continued through to the sitting room. He followed her and watched as she went to pick up the book she had fallen asleep over the previous night, he stopped her by reaching out and grabbing it before she was able to. Quickly she turned giving him an irritated questioning look to which he almost relented. "You can't read now love you have to go and get ready we're going out tonight" . "What Eli? I'm really sleepy, the Mayor was in today and she just picked holes in all the hard work we've all been doing at the library and it took all my effort not to be unpleasant and ..." She stopped abruptly and looked up at him (he made a mental note to have words with the Mayor later) he smiled and took her hand. "Come on love have a bath and relax a little, you've been working so hard recently, you need some time off". She let him lead her to the bathroom and she smiled as she noticed the Christmas scented bubble bath on the ledge. "I'll knock on the door if you're not out in an hour" he said and with that left her to soak. As predicted he had to go and knock on the door an hour later as she had not emerged from the tub , but now they were on their way to the place he had planned to spend the evening . In the boot was dinner. It had all turned out just fine despite the stock boiling dangerously low at several points.

They arrived at a quiet spot in the woods. Having helped Belle out of the car and collected the basket from the boot he took her hand and led her along the dirt track in front of them. "Where on earth are we going?" He didn't respond to her too caught up in anticipating her reaction. Finally they walked around the turn in the track and that opened to their destination. Belle stopped dead in the middle of the path and Gold all but fell over her leaning heavily on his cane to prevent all his work being for naught. "A tree house ?" Belle giggled. "Yes love a tree house now up the stairs you go so I can pass you this basket. " Belle scrambled easily up the ladder and reached back down to grab the basket from him as he unsteadily made his own way up to the top. Finally he reached the tree house and stood as he watched Belle taking in the space. He had got Henry to decorate it for him earlier and the boy had done a good job. "It's beautiful Eli. So cosy and comfortable." Gold filled a couple of bowls with the soup he had made and eased himself on to the floor making sure to avoid the bad habit of sitting on his bad knee. "The soup I made will get cold love come down here and join me" he urged gently. "You made this ?" she asked in surprise coming to join him on the rug. She looked around quizzically "spoons?". He groaned "I knew I'd forgotten something ! I'll go back and get them it won't take me long". "No Eli, don't worry " with that said she raised the bowl to her lips and sipped at the contents. A moment later she looked up at him smiling "this is really good, what's in it?" "Partridge" the giggle that peeled forth warmed his heart and he too lifted the bowl he held to his lips.

Later they were sitting talking about everything and nothing letting the good bread and soup start on its road to digestion. The twilight had descended into darkness. They had lit some candles an hour or so back and now the interior of the tree house was bathed in dancing orange light. Belle's stomach suddenly grumbled. "It must be time for dessert " she suggested . Gold responded quickly by pulling out the pear tarts covered in gold leaf and passing one to the beautiful woman opposite him. "Wow" she remarked "Granny's really gone upmarket!" He smiled back at her "I think I nearly gave the poor woman a heart attack earlier, I'm not know for going in there . Let alone to buy baked goods. The gold leaf however, is my addition." She continued to look in awe at the dessert in her hands he didn't speak but apparently the look on his face was enough.

They had finally finished the meal and were languishing in each others company as the moths and fireflies danced around the slowly descending flames. "This has been a lovely evening sweetheart but we both have work tomorrow. We should probably head back" Belle spoke with a sigh and a look of regret in her eyes . She got up from the rug and lent down to pull him up . As he reached a standing position he didn't let go of her hand but pulled her gently towards one side of the tree house. "Eli...?" "Just humor me, take that postcard off the wall." She looked at him hesitantly but reached out and pulled the postcard off of the wall . He watched as she read the back of it and smiled as she looked up at him in shock. "You bought this for me?" "No" he reasoned "I bargained to gain this for you. But yes it is yours". Suddenly her arms were around him, her lips on his and his brain gave up trying to think at all. Henry had driven a hard bargain and to his displeasure had had to involve Regina in it as well but it was all worth it to see Belle happy like this. After a moment of happy silence the couple packed up the remnants of their repast and made their way from the tree house. An hour later they had reached home and were curled up together in bed. Belle once again fell asleep whilst reading and he whilst deep in thought. Today had gone brilliantly and tomorrow well that was another day .

**Author's second note - Whilst I have really tried hard to iron out spelling and grammatical issues I'm sorry if a few are still there :S Hope the next chapter will be a little longer. Best wishes - Ethlena**


	3. Day 2

**Day two - Turtle doves **

**A/N well here it is the new chapter - I want to thank all those who have favourited, followed and above all reviewed. Every acknowledgement makes me smile and means a lot to me. As always each review will get a personal response. **

The next day was the perfect contrast of the day before and he knew it even before she wrenched open the curtains and followed the movement with an excited squeak. His knee ached with the sharp background note that was only ever bought around by "SNOW !" He marveled at the joy he felt at her excitement . Suddenly the mattress moved and he struggled to look disapproving as she bounced up and down on the end of it. Suddenly the movement stopped and she was at his side of the bed pulling at his arm . "Come on sleepyhead get up I want to go out in the snow before I have to go to work" she stared straight at him employing the normally very effective puppy dog eyes. Although normally a morning person the combination of the cold outside, his knee and his want to pin Belle to his side and snuggle up next to her for the rest of eternity (and possibly snog her senseless in the process) made him groan and turn away from her with a humph. "Come on grumpy, it's a bright new day and if I don't get out there soon Henry will have had all the snow from me before I can make a snowman and snow angel." She tugged on the duvet and he gripped hard onto it refusing to relinquish it. "The rest of the town will call you sour puss and grumpy face and you wouldn't want that". He took a moment to form a reply before burying his head further in the pillow and grumbling "I believe would cope". Finally she had had enough. Under pretense of giving up and lying down again she rolled into him and having lulled him into a false sense of security she struck. In all of half a minute he was rolling about on the bed unable to breathe with tears streaming down his face. "Give in?" she asked "yes, yes I surrender" he panted having managed to muster just enough breath to speak "just stop tickling me". He felt the pressure lift from her side of the bed and listened to the bathroom door open.

Fifteen minutes later they were downstairs eating big bowls of porridge Belle already decked out in thick coat, scarf and mittens. All was peaceful until the clattering of a spoon dropping onto the floor followed by a word he had never thought he'd hear her utter. Standing he reached for his scarf and coat , took her hand and led her out into the snow. He watched as she moved out cautiously into the new weather and felt his heart pound as suddenly she was on the floor in front of him on her back ,snow in her hair. Suddenly they both heard the crunching of snow and the small voice of a boy crying out. "Belle, I'm really sorry I was just practising my aim I never meant to hit you." Belle had picked herself up off the floor just as Henry Mills skidded to a stop by the porch and she threw Eli a quick glance that calmed his irritation a little. "It's okay Henry. What was that thing you threw at me anyway?" she asked innocently. "It's called a snowball. I can't believe you've never seem one before!" He leant down to form a new ball of snow with his hands, explaining the process to Belle as he went. She looked very intent as she listened and he wasn't sure he liked the little smile that passed her lips as Henry finished explaining. He was, as it turned out, completely right to be nervous as he heard the laugh he knew so well and saw the mass of snow flying through the air towards him too fast for him to move out of the way. It landed with a thud against his arm and he looked up to see the pair of them in hysterics and that was it. He lent down and picked up and shaped his own chunk of snow and threw it in her direction just missing her but to his satisfaction hitting Henry square on his left knee.

Later in the day Gold had finally reached the haven of the shop having only slipped on the ice once. He had been annihilated in the snowball fight, Belle was ruthless and he was now nursing one or two quite spectacular bruises. The clock on the back wall started striking twelve and he put down the book he was working on as he decided to start on day two of the project. He moved slowly to one of the cabinets and picked up a piece from inside it. Returning to his work bench he lay the piece down on top of it assessing the damage that it had suffered . It was broken into several pieces of varying sizes and to the untrained eye taking a glance at it the piece might look beyond repair. However, he knew better, it was just like the person to whom it belonged. At the moment it was broken but he fully intended to do his best to try and fix it . While it would be more fragile than before and never quite as perfect and whole as it had once been, it would be looked after and kept safe and unlikely to shatter into a million pieces again.

He continued to work on the piece that sat before him for the best part of the early afternoon. Manipulating the chain and melding it together with a new link his progress continued. The work wasn't complicated, not really, it just required acute concentration and hand eye co-ordination. Then the bell to the shop rang and he put down his work and made his way to what he liked to refer to as the shop floor. "Hi Mr Gold". There, with box in his arms, was Henry (one of the larger bruises developing on Gold's upper arm owed its existence to that small seemingly innocent boy). "Hello Henry, did you manage to locate what I asked for?" "You got it. It's right here in this box." Gold took the box and placed it on the glass of the cabinet behind him and took out the contents. "It's a bit battered. Sorry about that. It was the only one I could find in the whole of the town. I had to promise I'd clean out his filing cabinet to get it!" Gold smirked he'd seen the Dr's filing cabinet and it was going to be a hard task for the young boy. "I appreciate it Henry. Don't go throwing anymore snowballs at me again though or I might have to get you to do my filing to. If you thought Whale's was bad his is nothing compared to the mess of mine. Trust me." Henry looked up at him sheepishly and rightly so. "It's nearly quarter to and I promised mum I'd be home by four. Hope it all goes well." With this said Henry ran out through the door of the shop leaving Gold to look over the acquisition. It was certainly tattered and was going to take some work but he'd anticipated that and as it was Belle's late night at the library so he wasn't too concerned.

He took the large clock in his hands. It was rococo in style with paint that needed patching up and gilding that needed restoring but the clockwork itself was sound. Tentatively he turned the hands so they showed four o'clock and waited. The clock bust into life on the counter top a cacophony of bright chirping noises and animated movement which burst from the little doors at the clocks centre. Once the noise subsided and the inhabitants had returned to their home for another hour Gold said a silent prayer to whatever deity was listening that the mechanism worked. He turned the sign on the shop door to closed and walked with the clock into the back shop to finish his work.

By the time his lover opened the door to their house he was ready in the kitchen waiting for her. Gluhwein in a pan on the stove, takeaway keeping warm in the oven and the clock hung on the wall . "Wow that smells amazing" she smiled dumping her satchel next to the table and coming over to where he stood by the stove. His breath caught in his throat as she ran her hands around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. "Is that Gluhwein and curry I smell?" "Yes love it is. How was work?" He turned letting his hands fall on her hips. From this vantage point he could see the satchel she had dumped by the chair and rolled his eyes to see it splitting at the seams with books that either she wanted to read or needed him to repair. "You've been rescuing more waifs and strays I see" he gestured toward the satchel. She turned around in his arms so her back was pressed against him and giggled. The giggle stopped as she caught the sight of the clock on the wall. "It looks like you too have been rescuing things". He watched as she moved a couple of steps forward towards it. "It is a gift for you my love. You need only wait five minutes until the magic occurs" she turned her head to him and her eyes lit up. Without a word he watched as she sat in the chair opposite the clock and looked raptly up at it. Continuing his work he placed the dinner in bowls upon the table in front of her and a glass of the warm spiced wine by her elbow. It was as he moved back towards the table that the clock struck the hour. He saw the delight in her eyes as the two little turtle doves popped out of the doors and made twittering noises. He had set the clock so the birds would remain out of their house for an entire minute and thus give her time to notice the rose between the darker bird's beak as it held it out to the turtle dove opposite with the blue collar of feathers. It took a moment longer for her to gasp as he withdrew the necklace that hung over them for her to inspect. "My mother's necklace... but where .. I lost this half a year ago before we were even..." She looked up at him uncertainty shining in her eyes. "About a month ago Leroy bought it in. It was in pieces and it has taken me time to work out what it was and the correct way of fixing it. Once I realised it was yours I thought I'd give it to you as a Christmas present." She smiled that smile that she saved just for when she was with him and took the chain from him and into her hands. "It's still a few days until Christmas. You already gave me a tree house for goodness sake." " What can I say? Can an old monster not spoil a woman who sticks with him despite of it all. Anyway what's a few days?" He hoped he'd covered his tracks just a little. He didn't want her to realise what he was up to too quickly; after all she might chide him and make him stop. She hadn't let the necklace fall from her hands to the table but was instead fondling a new addition to the chain, a tiny enamelled rose. She looked up at him, eyes searching for an answer, not upset or angry, just asking. "I thought you might like a little bit of me and you wherever you go so I made that to sit on the chain too. Although I can take it off if you'd rather" he added hastily. A single tear ran down her cheek as she held the necklace to him and then turning her back to him lifted her hair. He settled the necklace around her neck and let the clasp click into place. "Eli" she whispered running her fingers over the two minute pendants "it's beautiful". He sat at the table relived and they began to eat and drink together. It was such a simple gesture but between them it felt perfect. After eating their dinner they retired to the living room and to an awful television program which Belle ignored for the most part, absorbed in her book and which he ignored entirely caught up in watching her and planning out the next day's gift.

**A/N Right... Hands up ... I know it's late sorry I've just been caught up in loads of other things and this chapter was written in tiny snatched moments here and there. I However, hope you like it . New chapter up ASAP . **


	4. Day 3

**Day 3 - Three French Hens **

_**Authors Note - Thanks to the reviewers as always I really appreciate every review I get and do reply to them all. Thank you also to those people who are following this without reviewing, following or making it a favourite through the fanfic .net system I hope you are all enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Do drop me a review even if it's as an anonymous guest - I'll still reply it will just be as another review that's all. I promise I don't bite ! Anyway this one's a little more straight forward than the last two hope you enjoy it. **_

The next day was a Saturday. He did not however sleep in and enjoy the comfort of bed and Belle like he would have liked to have done. No instead he woke up freezing and damp. He looked over at his bedside table momentarily confused and saw the water glass had tipped, apparently over him. That however, was not the most distressing thing. That was his cold feet caused by the lack of a duvet . He twisted his neck over to where his sleeping companion lay and to his irritation and amusement saw Belle snuggled in the entirety of the duvet. Well saw was maybe stretching it a bit as the only bit of Belle poking out of the ball of duvet was the top of her head and the big toe of one of her feet. That was enough, he was cold and after all she did wake him up yesterday. With that thought he shed his sodden top and gently rolled over to face her, crawling down to the base of the bed by her exposed toe.

A few minutes later the duvet lay abandoned on the floor and Belle was screaming at him through fits of laughter. "Stop...please...Eli...I can't ...breath...properly". He saw the tears running down her cheeks and relented. Without a word he grabbed the duvet off the floor lay down on his side of the bed and cuddled up in it. Apparently he was not the only one wanting to cuddle up and he jumped a little when Belle's hand touched the bare skin of his neck and as her chin nuzzled into his nape. He had decided that Belle was definitely partly feline as she wormed her way under the duvet alongside him and snuggle down on his shoulder. It was only five minutes later when he was startled from sleep again this time by something as cold as ice meeting his shin. He heard a small giggle and turning to look her way with a scowl. Gold proceeded to haul himself out of bed to sounds of protest from his companion which almost made him turn around but he had to get breakfast otherwise they'd stay in bed all day. whilst he didn't really object to this, today, when he had things to do it was an impractical distraction. So in order to sort this out he tossed the remnants of liquid in her water glass over her and moved as fast as he could toward the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later and Belle had appeared in the kitchen looking sullen and annoyed. Eli chose to ignore the dagger glares she was throwing his way and keep with finishing breakfast. He finally put plates on the table with fried eggs, bacon and pancakes. They ate in silence. After breakfast Belle shot him a glance, got up and retired into the lounge slamming the door behind her . He winced as the clock on the kitchen wall shook, she was clearly not happy with him. He steeled himself and having cleaned up started off with the rest of the tasks he needed to get done that day. Firstly Eli crept quietly as he could with his cane up the stairs to their bedroom. He thought ruefully that if he didn't win her over with what he planned for the day then this might be the last he'd see of it for a while. His Belle wasn't vindictive but she was fiery and would think nothing of making him sleep on the sofa or in a spare room until she decided they might be reconciled. Slowly he changed out of his accustomed suit into his only pair of casual slacks and a second best shirt and grabbed his grey sweater alongside it. Having picked up his cane, coat and scarf he headed out side.

It was considerably warmer than yesterday and the majority of the snow had thawed. Eli certainly needed it that way in order to start his work. It had come mid-day and Eli ceased his work to eat a quick sandwich and sighed as he heard the vacuum cleaner start up in the house. When Belle started cleaning it normally meant that he was in big trouble and could either risk his neck trying to get through the piles of spare stock to the second bedroom or sleep on the lumpy antique sofa. He had lost no sleep over what today's present should be and he had once more sent his minion (Henry Mills) out to scout out the major part of it. Finishing his quick lunch he went on with his work hammering nails into the correct panels of wood and trying to get the correct pieces in the right places. Several bruised fingers and swear words later the door was on and Gold stood back rubbing his sore fingers. It was then he heard the sound of chirpy whistling coming around the side of the house and suddenly Archie was stood in his back yard with a wicker basket in his hands.

Gold looked at him and raised an enquiring eyebrow until he heard a clucking noise coming from the basket. "Henry couldn't drop by and as I'm the one who breeds them I thought I'd drop them off. I have to say when Henry asked me if you could please have three I was really sceptical but he said you were going to forgive me a month's rent in lieu of payment. I couldn't say no." Gold nodded and proceeded to limp towards him. "They're what breed Archie? Anything I need to know about their care?" The man opposite him looked intrigued but answered none the less "they're three Maran hens a good French breed. They're both good egg producers and meat birds..." Archie was suddenly interrupted as he quickly spun around to look at the house. From inside they could hear a great deal of crashing and banging and Eli fancied he could hear the culprit mumbling under her breath. Archie looked at him for an explanation he was not inclined to one to the red headed man. That was until something came flying out of the window of the junk room upstairs accompanied by a shout of "why do you even have one of these? what kind of a deal gets you that?" The two gentlemen looked over at where the missile that had so narrowly missed them landed. Eli smiled, it was the stuffed penguin that he had bargained with a bartender for once when the man had wanted a small favour. It was quickly followed by another missile this time a stuffed and mounted fish which actually caused Archie to drop his basket and in doing so of course the chickens escaped.

The window slammed and the two men started to move after the escapee chickens but it wasn't going to be easy. They spent the next fifteen minutes moving as fast as each of them could in order to catch the chickens. However, it wasn't until another 15 minutes on top of that that all three had been finally caught and put into the new house Gold had spent the morning building. "Right I'll be off then" said Archie turning to go. "Oh no!" Gold exclaimed " You let the chickens loose so you can help me finish the run I've been building around their house". "I believe it is your partner in life who chose to give a normally flightless bird the chance of a lifetime and caused me to drop my basket. But in order for them to have a good home I suppose I could help you for an hour or so."

So it was that the two men began to hammer posts into the ground and unroll chicken wire around it creating four walls and a ceiling . Two hours later just as they had finished attaching the last piece they turned to see Belle in the doorway. Archie saw the look on both Gold and Belle's faces and beat a hasty retreat. Eli barely registered Archie's disappearance his whole being wanted to run to Belle and cover her in kisses and beg her forgiveness. He knew however that this would not wash with his determined little warrior so instead he stood still. She slowly left the light of the doorway moving towards him, he didn't even dare to breathe as she took in the construction and the animals now happily foraging inside the fence. "I'm sorry I've been grumpy all day Eli" she whispered coming closer to him. he looked down at her and saw a slightly sheepish look in her eyes "how's the penguin?" "I think for a bird that normally spends its existence earth bound it had the time of its life. I think however, the fish might be traumatised" He smirked at her and she giggled. "I know how you love the garden so I have spent the day with Archie's help building you this splendid chicken coop and making it a home for these three little ladies". It took him a couple of seconds to realise he was talking to an empty space and that Belle was in the coop with a chicken tucked under her arm. "They're lovely Eli". "They're a French breed which are good both at producing eggs and meat". At this point the thing in her arm made a wild flapping and clucking and ended up on the ground. Belle having escaped the coop smacked Eli on the arm "that's all because you said it might become meat!" He decided not to pick up that particular bait and so just re-directed the conversation "am I forgiven for the early morning bath?" She turned her back to him and held out her hand to him. Quickly he took it and followed her inside.

There on the kitchen table was the best china on top of her favourite tablecloth. Beside it were the components of a roast dinner. As he sat down she handed him a bottle of white wine to open and pour and whilst he did so she placed a covered roasting tray on the centre trivet of the table. "I don't think I can eat it now" she moaned pulling the foil off. "Not now there are potentially three of its friends just outside our backdoor". She had lifted the lid to reveal a perfectly roasted chicken. It was well after dinner had turned lukewarm that they managed to escape the hysterical laughter that had taken their sense and breath from them. Gold recovered first sitting up from the floor where they had ended in an attempt to soothe the pain from laughing too much and looked despondently at the table. "Oh, It'll be cold now and I spent two hours over that" Belle sighed looking up too. He was up on his feet as fast as his knee would carry him and by the phone in double quick time. Before she had a chance to realise what he'd done the chicken was wrapped and in the fridge and take out ordered.

Later they sat by the fire in the armchair large enough to accommodate both of them...just. The pizza boxes were discarded on the coffee table alongside the bottle of wine and the two glasses of whiskey. They were comfortably entwined with each other, half asleep and truth be told quite tipsy although Gold less so than Belle who was, at least on wine, a lightweight (drinking spirits or cocktails it was another matter entirely). "Come on love I think it's time we went to bed" he whispered, she cat stretched off of his lap and leaning down kissed him deeply. Catching the look in his eyes she giggled and ran off up the stairs. He sat for a few minutes contemplating the day behind him and the one ahead. It was as the two turtle doves of the clock in the kitchen emerged from their little house he decided that the song his girlfriend favoured contained entirely too many birds. He had to find a way to distract her tomorrow whilst he pursued the task at hand. In the meantime he had a tipsy flirtatious Belle to placate upstairs so he damped down the fire and made his way up the staircase towards the slightly off key singing.

_**End note - Well there we go. Question do you want a short tipsy Belle point of view chapter next or should I JUST GET ON WITH IT? please leave me a review have a great day and DFTBA **_


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